By Mohammad Lawal Maiku
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Agency Control, (NAFDAC), has warn the media from promoting the consumption of infant formulas or Breast Milk Substitutes, (BMS) in the country through adverts.
NAFDAC reiterated that the Agency does not issue permits for adverts of Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months was still low in the country, hence the need to accelerate it.
NAFDAC Kaduna Office Desk Officer, Rahila Maishanu, stated this at a Media roundtable with media practitioners organized by Alive and Thrive (A&T) to promote salient issue on Maternal Infant Young Child Nutrition, (MIYCN) in Kaduna on Wednesday.
In her paper titled: “The BMS Code/National Regulation and the Role of Media in Promoting Code Compliance” Maishanu said breast feeding is a high impact, low technology, cost effective intervention for child survival and optimal cognitive sustainability.
She said unfortunately, Nigeria was doing very poorly in this endeavour of compliance, pointing out that there is need to scale up the practice to 50 per cent by 2025 in line with global target.
She attributed this outcome to include; influence of aggressive marketing by breast milk substitutes companies; lack of common agenda and unified voice; and failure to frame and communicate clearly the importance of breastfeeding and risks of not breastfeeding, among others.
Maishanu added that in order to promote Maternal Infant Young Child Nutrition, (MIYCN) the Agency empowered by law under the provisions of the NAFDAC Act Cap N1 LFN 2004 birthed a Code to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants, by the protection and promotion of breastfeeding, to ensure proper use of breast milk substitutes on the basis of adequate information through appropriate marketing and distribution.
Giving a scope of the Code, Maishanu, said it applies to the marketing of all products that function as breast milk substitutes; adding that it was necessary to implement and enforce the Code and national regulation to promote optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding, (IYCF) for child survival, growth and development.
She said media practitioners has a key role to play to protect breastfeeding and urged Journalists to acquaint themselves with the laws and regulations on marketing breast milk substitutes in the country.
“Reject any advertisements promoting breast milk substitutes products, as NAFDAC does not issue advertisement permits for Breast Milk Substitutes,” she urged.
The Assistant State Nutrition Officer, Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, (KSPHCB), Adams Ango, in his goodwill message said there was need to assist the State Government in promoting MIYCN in the state.
Ango said the Kaduna State Government has fared well on the issue of malnutrition, and appealed that whatever actions the meeting resolved at should be effectively carried out.
Earlier, the Zonal Coordinator of A&T, Sarah Kwasu, informed that from 2021-2026, her organization is scaling up MIYCN in Kaduna, Bauchi, Kano, Sokoto, Borno, Yobe and Lagos states, working with state governments, and strengthening local capacities as well as supporting efforts for improvement at national level.
She explained that recognizing the importance of maternal nutrition for better health and wellbeing outcomes for both women and their children, A&T aimed to improve the delivery of maternal nutrition interventions as well as MIYCN outcomes in the focal states.
While noting that part of A&T’s component is mass communication and mass media which is a proven way of conveying MIYCN messages to the public; Kwasu, said the meeting therefore intended to sensitize participants on MIYCN and the need for them to intentionally produce and support MIYCN focused/sensitive programmes.
The meeting will also, “equip Media practitioners with knowledge on key issues in MIYCN, including code for the marketing of breast milk substitutes.
“Discuss the role of the radio and television producers, and newspaper editors in promoting MIYCN; and also secure commitments from the media participants to promote MIYCN programming through their various platforms,” she added.
